


The Interview

by Separate_The_Earth



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, based on a real story, based on my life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 18:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15006548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Separate_The_Earth/pseuds/Separate_The_Earth
Summary: Cloud is in desperate need for some cash, and decides to hunt for a job.  Thankfully he gets an interview.  Though it wasn’t what he expected.





	The Interview

**Author's Note:**

> This is almost exactly how the interview for my current job went down. I should’ve seen the signs. Hindsight is a bitch
> 
> Names have been changed to protect the innocent and infamous.

Cloud needed a job, and he needed one fast. He was strapped for cash and his delivery business had enough work for maybe a weekend. So he decided to go on the hunt. Not even a week ago, he applied for a job and landed an interview.

He stood outside an old building that was a block in front of the railroad tracks. The sign looked in disrepair, and he had no clue what door to use. One was locked and the other seemed stuck. He noticed the door being attempted to be pushed open from the inside. Cloud grabbed the handle and pulled. Finally being able to yank the door open, he saw a sweet little old lady on the other side.

She ushered him inside as she went to look for the owner. He sat in the chair across from the desk. The first thing he noticed was the smell. It smelt like a cross between a nursing home and a grandma’s house. The words he’d describe it, would be a geriatric ward.

The lady came back out and looked at Cloud. “Oh, oh, I’m so sorry. Millie isn’t here right now, let me find Carrye.” Cloud simply nodded and twiddled his thumbs. She wandered off to another office before coming back. “Oh the application forms are over here.” She motioned for Cloud to follow her into a side office. “Take your time now.”

Cloud took the form and started to fill it out. The second thing he noticed was that the application form was decades out of date. As in Vincent probably filled out something similar for his first job.

The first thing he noticed was that the name of the business on the application did not match the one in the building. The building was some funny acronym that meant nothing to him, and the application was some repossession or banking company. Midgar Lenders something another. Cloud had no clue. He shook his head and filled out the application.

He finished the paperwork and looked over everything, being sure everything was correct. Cloud shrugged, peeking his head outside the room. The old receptionist hurried over and took the form. Once again, he sat awkwardly in the chair as the older woman talked about her grandson’s social media and how a scammer made a fake profile of her. Cloud smiled and nodded, growing impatient.

After an eon and a half, he was finally called for an interview. The receptionist led him to the owner’s office, only to be stopped by another elderly woman. Cloud was beginning to think that these people were even older than Vincent.

The older woman went up to Cloud and grabbed his arms. “Oh you’re such a handsome thing. My husband is in the office now.” She began to chat with the receptionist as they announced Cloud to the owner.

The office was large, a big wooden desk was in the back center. A very small elderly man sat hunched over the large desk. He stood up shakily and greeted Cloud before sitting down. The man spoke in s southern country accent that drawled on longer than it should.

The beginning of the interview went as usual, apparently the job was for a pressman or delivery boy or something about a print shop. The man was really unclear. His name was either Bill or Jim or something generic like that. Maybe it was Cid?

Fifteen minutes into the interview and Cloud thought it was over. Not bad, he supposed.

“The first thing you do when starting a business,” The man began, “Is get a desk. Then you get an office.”

Cloud raised an eyebrow, mildly curious and wondering how this had anything to do with his job duties. Five minutes in, Cloud regretted it.

The man began to regale his life story. How he moved to Midgar with only a truck and a suitcase, to finding a job doing sales for a repossession company. It was almost sweet, hearing the stories of a little old man.

It’d be even sweeter if Cloud’s eyelids and head didn’t feel heavy. He felt his head droop and he immediately sat up straight. What kind of idiot would fall asleep during his interview!

“The gentleman wouldn’t accept that we repo’d his vehicle. We had to get a policeman to watch the building for extra security.”

Cloud rolled his shoulders in an effort to stay awake. He wasn’t sure how an attempted robbery had anything to do with anything. Awake he was though, replying at the right times and feigning interest.

Tifa probably thought he was mugged or dead or something. How long was this interview?

“You know, ever since we allowed those Wutaiians to come into Midgar, the economy has gone down the toilet. No one wants to borrow anything anymore.” The interviewer started spouting his own political and religious beliefs.

Cloud winced internally, feeling sympathy for Yuffie. Wasn’t Tseng from Wutai? It’s been a while since he’s visited. Turtle’s Paradise had some good food.

Focus, Cloud!

He tried to focus on the interview, completely blanking out. The boss still spoke, apparently Cloud was convincing enough.

Tseng made some good Wutaiian dishes, maybe his parents immigrated to Midgar. Pretty ironic that their son was the leader of the Turks. Maybe he’d convince Tseng to bring food for poker night.

Focus on the task at hand, Strife!

Unfortunately for him, that was much easier said then done. It was difficult to say even now, seeing as he was still falling asleep. And would continue to do so throughout the three hour interview.

Cloud could maybe say that twenty or so minutes were about the job. The rest was the old man repeating the same exact stories.

Finally the interview concluded and Cloud thanked every deity above that he stayed awake. Shiva above, it was boring.

“Come back after lunch to meet everyone.”

Cloud blinked. Did he hear the man right? Come back? He held back a sigh. He nodded in response, hoping that it wouldn’t be as bad as the past three hours.

How much did he really need the cash?

Too much.

The swordsman did as he was told. He left for lunch, and an hour later he returned to the sketchy building. Once again he entered the front office. Once again he waited.

“Oh it appears that Jim forgot you were coming back, let me get him.” The receptionist said, ushering Cloud to follow.

There he stood in front of the office. A meeting in progress that was sloppily broken up by the man’s returning memory. Cloud sighed awkwardly, shuffling his feet.

The man greeted Cloud once again. Retelling a story for the upteenth time as he led Cloud outside to another building. A building that had a third company name on it. Cloud raised an eyebrow in confusion.

He walked in and greeted his new coworkers. He was hired, right? Looked like it. Everyone seemed friendly enough.

How bad could it be?

Little did Cloud know, in six months the repo company would fail, the old man would die, and the wife would go ballistic, and everyone would start looking for new jobs. He also found out that one of the companies got sued by the government.

Compared to this job, fighting Sephiroth would be a walk in the park.

“Wait…” Cloud exclaimed a short time later. “I’m only getting paid how much?”

**Author's Note:**

> No seriously, all the stuff at the six month mark actually happened. It’s been a year now and I’m still here.
> 
> I need a new job, man.


End file.
